Sleepless
by Carzekiel
Summary: It s the night before the final battle with the Saviors and Carol can t sleep.


**Sleepless**

Disclaimer: They`re not mine. Not making any profit with them. Just having fun.

Carol couldn`t sleep. That wasn`t anything unusual in itself. She barely slept more than a couple hours each night. But this night it just seemed completely impossible. She kept tossing and turning from one side to the other. She knew that she should get some sleep. Tomorrow her and her friends would head out to try and put an end to the war with Negan and the Saviors once and for all.

She wasn`t worried about that, not really. Just another fight in a long line of fights. She didn`t allow herself to think about it too much. They would win as they always did. And if this time they didn`t – well, at least it would be over.

What kept her awake tonight was something else entirely, though. Her mind kept wandering back to the night before. After she had made it back to Hilltop with Henry, she`d been sitting at the campfire with Ezekiel. His words from earlier that morning still gnawed at her but even more so the deeply disappointed look on his face when he realized that she really had no intention to go out and search for Henry.

The need to explain to him why she`d been so afraid of it, for him to understand what was going on inside of her, had been overwhelming. And so she did something she had sworn to herself never ever to do again in her life. She talked about Sophia.

She hadn`t expected the relief she felt when she talked to him about how lost she was after losing her daughter and that her biggest fear was to lose herself again like she did back then. Untypically for him, Ezekiel hadn`t said much. He just listened to her with this warm look on his face, full of understanding.

And then he had reached out to her, holding her hand with his much larger one, caressing her with his thumb. And that`s what her mind kept coming back to. The feeling of his soft touch on her skin, calming her, reassuring her. It felt wonderful. With a loud groan Carol finally gave up, swinging her legs out of bed. Maybe some fresh air would help her clear her mind. She urgently needed some hours of sleep.

A couple minutes later she stepped out on the front porch, deeply inhaling the fresh night air. It wasn`t fall yet but the nights have already gotten chillier, especially on such a beautiful clear night as tonight with millions of stars twinkling in the sky. Carol briefly closed her eyes, enjoying the scent that was uniquely Hilltop.

"Can`t sleep either, can you?"

The deep rumble of Ezekiel`s voice sent shivers down her spine. Turning into the direction of his voice she found the King leaning against the balustrade of the far-off corner of the porch. Slowly, she walked over to him, silently cursing herself for her increased heartbeat. Damn that man for his sexy voice and the effect it always had on her.

Stopping close to him, Carol studied his face in the dim light. She knew he hated to fight, hated to put his people in danger, the possibility of losing even more of them weighing heavily on his shoulders.

"You are worried about tomorrow" she said.

"No. Yes." Ezekiel shrugged his shoulders, not quite sure how to explain his feelings to her. He knew the fight was inevitable, necessary. The war needed to end. He had made his peace with that. What was worrying him was her. Carol. The thought that she might die kept him awake. He`d been drawn to her from the very first moment and over the past few weeks she had sneaked her way into his heart like no one else had ever before.

"It`s gonna be okay."

Feeling the need to reassure him, Carol reached out for his hand, squeezing softly. She knew she was in dangerous territory here, already feeling way too much for him. There was just something about him that lured her in, that made her give up all her defenses around him and let him in. It thrilled and scared her at the same time. She tried to pull her hand away again, but Ezekiel refused to let go, lacing their fingers together instead.

He pulled her closer, their bodies almost touching. Ezekiel waited, giving Carol time to step away from him. He didn`t want her to feel pressured or forced to do something she didn`t want. When she did not move away, Ezekiel lowered his head, pressing his lips to hers in a chaste kiss.

"Just in case something happens tomorrow" he whispered.

Carol didn`t say anything, just stared at him.

Fearing that maybe he did overstep the boundaries, Ezekiel let go of her hand and took a step backwards, but Carol followed him immediately. She grabbed his face with both hands, kissing him firmly. Ezekiel was momentarily surprised by her actions but then wrapped his arms tightly around her, holding her close to him. The kiss was deep and tender, revealing their true feelings for each other.

After what felt like an eternity, they broke the kiss, both of them breathless. Ezekiel was reluctant to let Carol go, one hand going to her head, stroking her hair. She leant against him, allowing the intimacy. Right in that moment Carol knew that she was where she wanted to be – in his arms. She never felt safer before in her life. And whatever would happen tomorrow she would do anything in her power to keep both of them alive.

Thanks to Eugene`s manipulations, the whole ordeal ended much quicker than anyone had expected with just a couple injuries on both sides. With Negan imprisoned, the Saviors surrendered, leaving them no choice but to agree to Rick`s terms if they wanted to keep their lives and their freedom.

At Hilltop, Ezekiel and his people prepared to go home to the Kingdom. He was glad the war had ended in their favor, a peaceful future laying ahead of them. And yet, he wasn`t feeling happy.

He didn`t have the chance to talk to Carol since they parted ways last night. Holding her in his arms had been wonderful and he longed to do it again. The thing was, he didn`t know what she was thinking. He knew that she had feelings for him, too, but he didn`t know whether she wanted to continue this thing between them or not. Maybe what happened last night was just a result of the uncertainty that lay ahead of them. He feared that she might return to Alexandria now that the war was over.

Lost in his thoughts he didn`t notice her approaching, jumping at the sound of her voice.

"Why the sour look? We won."

"Indeed we did." The triumphant smile on her face made him chuckle. Carol was a born fighter, whether she wanted to admit it or not.

"So, - " Ezekiel started, trying to work up the courage to ask her to come back home with him to the Kingdom. But before he could say anything more, Henry came running towards them, almost bumping into him.

"Jerry says the horses are all saddled up. We`re ready to go." The boy was obviously more than ready to return to the Kingdom, bouncing on his feet.

"Well, let`s go then" Carol said, following Henry who was already happily dashing in the other direction.

After taking a couple steps, she looked back at Ezekiel who still stood frozen in his place, a puzzled look on his face. What had just happened here?

"Aren`t you coming?"

A broad smile appeared on his face and he hurried to catch up with her.

The next evening

Ezekiel sat on the stairs that led up to his home, enjoying the quiet and beauty of his royal garden. This really was his most favorite place in the Kingdom as he had told Carol the night she tried to run away. To him it felt as if that night was an eternity away though in reality it`s only been a couple weeks. So much had changed since then. He still tried to wrap his mind around the fact that they were now living in peace.

There was still a lot to do, though. When the Saviors attacked the Kingdom, they had done some severe damage. He and Jerry had spent the day assessing everything, making a list of what needed to be done urgently and what could wait, giving instructions to everyone in the Kingdom. They all still suffered the losses of the battle but with the help of everyone they would keep this place running, thriving.

Ezekiel looked up when he heard someone approaching, smiling when he saw that it was Carol. Even with all the work that needed to be done he couldn`t get her out of his mind all day. He was still amazed that she`d come back to the Kingdom as though it was the most natural thing in the world to her. Well, maybe it was. Most of the time she was a conundrum to him, her actions surprising him again and again. She definitely was the most fascinating woman he`d ever met.

Now she stood at the foot of the stairs looking up at him. He didn`t say anything, waiting for her next move. After a short moment she climbed the stairs, sitting next to him, their shoulders touching. Deciding to throw caution to the wind, Ezekiel took her hand, kissing the back of it.

"I was scared you might decide you`re time at the Kingdom is over. That you would go back to Alexandria" he admitted.

Carol shook her head slowly.

"I never felt at home in Alexandria. There`s nothing to go back to there."

Ezekiel`s heart sped up at her words.

"Do you feel at home here?"

Carol looked at him with a soft smile on her lips. She remembered her first reaction to this place, to him. She`d told Morgan that the Kingdom was a damn circus. She`d changed her mind about that very quickly. The Kingdom was different than any other place she`d been before. The people there were a real community, everyone working together, helping each other in order to achieve the best possible life for all of them, no matter the circumstances. And they accepted her – the real her – without hesitation, looking up at her with respect.

Then of course, there was him. Ezekiel. Her instincts had told her to run away from him as fast as she could. She still didn`t understand what it was that he said or did the night he happened upon her in the garden that made her stay. Whatever it was, it touched something deep inside of her, making it impossible for her to get away. Now, she didn`t want to run anymore.

"Yes."

It was as simple as that. There`s never been any other place in her life where she`d felt more at home than she did here in the Kingdom, with him.

"I`m happy you feel that way."

Reaching for her face, Ezekiel pulled her in for a kiss, his lips moving sensually against hers. Carefully he lowered her backwards against the stairs, cushioning her with his arms as best as he could, not wanting her to feel uncomfortable. Carol didn`t even notice. She was lost in the kiss, the feel of his mouth on hers, his dreads falling around her face, shutting out the world.

Only when Ezekiel started running his hand up and down her leg, his mouth wandering to her pulse point sucking gently did Carol realize that they were still out in the open. It was late and most of the Kingdom was asleep but there were still guards outside and she really didn`t want to be caught making out with the King. She pushed against his shoulders to get him to stop, sitting up.

"This isn`t the place" she whispered.

Taking in their surroundings, Ezekiel nodded, not fully trusting his voice at the moment. When Carol got up, he stood as well, fully expecting her to say good night. But yet again she surprised him. Instead of leaving she started up the stairs, disappearing inside his home, not even bothering to look back at him. Shaking his head, Ezekiel followed her once more.

Neither of them said a word, it wasn`t necessary. Once inside his bedroom they completely gave in to their desire for each other. Kissing passionately, Ezekiel lifted her of the floor, her legs wrapping around his hips. Walking across the room he carefully lowered them on the bed, not taking his mouth off of hers for a second. Carol kept him in a tight embrace, welcoming his body weight on hers. Her hands slipped beneath his shirt immediately, feeling his smooth skin.

Sitting back on his heels, Ezekiel pulled the shirt over his head then grabbed her feet, pulling her boots and socks off before toeing off his own. Carol rose up on her elbows, watching him intently as he slowly slid his hands up her legs, reaching for the button of her jeans. He popped it open, his dark eyes fixed on hers. Carol lifted her hips, allowing him to pull the garment down her legs along with her underwear.

She sat up, moving so she straddled his legs, her arms wrapped around his shoulders. As she started kissing him again, his hands grabbed her rear, kneading the naked flesh. Carol moaned into his mouth, trying to press her body closer to his. One hand still on her ass, Ezekiel sneaked the other one up her back, opening her bra. Carol pulled her mouth away from his momentarily to allow him to push her shirt and bra over her head, tossing them aside carelessly.

Sneaking one hand between their bodies, Carol opened his pants, unsuccessfully trying to push it down. She wanted to feel him, longed to wrap her fingers around the evidence of his desire for her. Unable to accomplish her goal in their current position she let out a frustrated sigh. Ezekiel chuckled low in his throat, earning himself an annoyed look from the woman in his arms.

He lowered them back to the bed, rolling them over so Carol was on top of him. She immediately took advantage of her position, sliding down his legs, freeing him of his pants and underwear. Then she finally had him in her hands, firmly stroking his hard length. Ezekiel groaned at the exquisite feeling of her small hand on him, totally content with letting her take control for the moment.

Carol kissed her way up his body, never faltering in her ministrations. When she reached his mouth again, she let go of him, bracing herself on either side of his head. Plundering his mouth with her tongue, she rubbed herself against him, spreading her wetness. Ezekiel dug his fingers into her hips at the sensation of their most intimate body parts touching for the first time. He could barely control himself anymore.

Carol couldn`t wait anymore either. Lifting herself up she took hold of him again, guiding him to her entrance. Biting her lip, she lowered herself down on him bit by bit until he was fully buried inside of her. She needed a moment to get accustomed to his size before she started moving her hips, slowly increasing her tempo. She reached for his hands, placing them on her breasts and holding them there while she rode him.

Ezekiel couldn`t take his eyes off of her, marveling at her beauty as she moved above him, the pure pleasure visible on her face. He sensed the moment her orgasm came crashing over her, pulling her down on top of him and driving himself inside of her over and over. He was still hot and hard inside of her when she came down from her high, rolling her underneath him. The desire to take her was almost unbearable.

Sitting back up he spread her legs wide open with his hands on her knees, eyes fixed on her face to gauge her reaction. Carol returned his stare, showing no sign of discomfort. Still, Ezekiel needed to be sure.

"You okay with this?"

The sweetness of his thoughtfulness left her speechless. She could see that he was struggling to keep his lust from overwhelming him and yet he put her comfort first. Never had a man treated her like this. Instead of answering him, she drew her legs up even further, opening herself to him completely. Her hands fisted the bedsheets, preparing herself for his attack. She knew she was in for a hot ride.

Ezekiel didn`t waste any more time, hitting her with deep hard strokes that had her whimpering with the intense pleasure he was giving her. Carol watched as he drove himself inside of her, the sight of his dark skin covered in her wetness almost enough to make her come again. When he felt his orgasm approaching, Ezekiel let go of her legs, leaning forward to greedily suck one tight nipple into his mouth.

It was enough to send her flying, an unexpected scream escaping her beautiful mouth. Ezekiel buried his face in her neck as he emptied himself inside of her. Crashing on top of her, he managed to roll them to their sides, dragging the covers over them to protect them from the cold of the room. Though his manly ego was thrilled by her scream, he hoped they didn`t wake Henry who was sleeping next door. Thankfully, everything remained silent.

Snuggled up comfortably against him, Carol was on the verge of falling asleep when she heard his deep voice whispering in her ear.

"I love you."

Ezekiel didn`t see the smile that spread on her lips at his words, but he felt her moving, placing a soft kiss right above his heart. To him, that was more than enough. At least for now.

For the first time in her life, Carol fell asleep completely happy, not a care in the world, safe in the arms of the man who loved her more than anything else and whom she loved back equally.


End file.
